I figured that's what you were going for in regards to the dwimmerleiks, but I wasn't really seeing them as tide-turning with the exception of Umbral Shock or Blinding Weave.
Barbed Ward seems like it could add up to good damage against enemies with multiple attacks, but it's not what I would consider a game changer (besides giving a bard without perfomance buffs a way to do damage). Grasping Shadows also provides a handy debuff, but I'm ambivalent about it's tide-turning nature. Phantasmal Tapestry is ok, but I don't feel that a demoralize check is all that game changing either. I could of course be underestimating the effectiveness of some of the abilities here, but that's my immediate impression of them.
All of the abilities use rounds of performance one way or the other (either from you just having to spend 1 round to restart the performance in the same round that you ended it to get your debuff back or the additional cost of rounds some have), so it seemed to me that it wouldn't hurt to maybe just add that round cost onto the abilities (and say that only one dwimmerleik can be used per round) and keep the performance active.
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First thing, I love the archetypes in the guide. There's finally enough gun-related material between this and the other 3rd party stuff on d20pfsrd that I can run a game that is one part magic and one part Police Academy 4.
Thanks for the kind words Darkstar, I'm glad you find these rules useful. :)
I have not played a character with firearms in a campaign yet but I found the lack of support for iconic firearm concepts to be an inspiration for awesome new rules. (You may want to check the Handcannoneer I wrote for more black powder love !)My question is regarding the Gun-Fu Master's Gritty Ki, specifically this line:
"...gritty ki counts as the gunslinger's Grit class feature for the purposes of qualifying for feats and deeds."I get that you could get more deeds via feats and that part makes sense to the GFM. However, does this also give you access to the deeds a vanilla Gunslinger gets access to via level progression?
EDIT: Upon further examination of the current version and assuming an answer of "No" to my question, it looks like that the GFM can only gain a non-feat-only deed via Amateur Gunslinger, but only if it's taken at either 1st or 3rd level. Once they hit level 4, they no longer qualify for Amateur Gunslinger as they have a Grit pool. Was there any other intention for the Grit pool other than getting access to the Grit recovery for extra ki points?
This ability does not grant the "deeds" class feature, as such it does not grant deeds, just a pool of Grit. Gritty Ki has been written this way for three reasons:
- Thematic/Mechanic: Integrate the Grit mechanic without making it as powerful as a gunslinger's, and receiving it later (hence the limitation to Amateur Gunslinger). A gun-fu master may seemingly have a high amount of potential Ki points to fuel deeds or gun-based Ki abilities (those written in gritty ki's description and the qingong alternate list, way more flavorful and adapted to a gun user), but they must recover this Grit the hard way, and thus receive way less Ki points per day on average than a standard monk if they do not have the opportunity to recover grit !- Multiclassing: Allow interesting multiclassing options between a gunslinger and a gun-fu master who wants to acquire BAB, deeds and grit as a gunslinger at the expense of his Ki powers and flurry.
- Expended compatibility: Allow a gun-fu master to use any other grit-related rules, meaning items, feats, class abilities that already exist. Since they do not have a class ability to repair their guns, they also fully benefit from gun magic items that are useless to a mid level gunslinger because they help avoiding misfires.
(As an aside, this archetype is a favorite of mine, just because it allows you to play a freakin' supernatural, tactical Grammaton Cleric in your Pathfinder !)
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I'm always ready to answer concerns about my work. ;)
I would advise against using some of these abilities as they are written, since they were not made for Paizo's rules. The "rifled" barrel for example is fine with Adamant Entertainment's firearms, but horribly broken for Paizo's (150 gp for a nonmagical Distance property ? I'm sold !).
A rifled barrel as I would use it would increase the price of a firearm by 50% and impart a -2 penalty to attack rolls.
"Everloaded" is fine, but shouldn't be necessary to a gun-fu master since they can reload without a free hand. At best it avoids suffering AoO for reloading in melee if you do not have the Deft Shootist deed. It may be a bit too weak for its price but it has potent advantages when needed.
"Guided" is broken IMHO. But since you will need both Wisdom and Dexterity in equal parts and you already add your Wisdom modifier to attack rolls with pistol whips, there is no reason to choose one over the other.
Since the damage of a pistol whip is equal to the unarmed damage of a monk of (your level)/2, a monk's robe does affect your damage: it allows you to deal unarmed damage as a monk of (your level+5)/2, in addition to the AC bonus.
A level 5 gun-fu master would deal 1d6 damage (as a level 2 monk); the same monk with a Monk's Robe (level 10 gun-fu master for unarmed strikes and AC only) would deal 1d8 damage (as a level 5 monk).
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The spell-storing bullets I found there makes for a more versatile Myrmidarch than the Myrmidarch itself. The Magus spell list just doesn't have that many useful ranged touch spells so giving him a way to use those melee touch spells at a range is nice.
You should check my Gunmage magus archetype in Part 2 of my Archetypes Document.
I also have a very interesting character dynamic for a tiefling paladin using your gun archetypes. He's going to be a schizophrenic Div-spawn (devil dad/cleric mother) who thinks he hears the voices of the Angels of Mercy and Death in his head. His alignment and powers change depending on which Angel is in control: Mercy makes him a Holy Gun and Death makes him a Hell Gunner. His weapon is going to change in appearance with his powers but functionally remain the same regardless of which form he's using. Which would you suggest: double-barreled pistol or double-barreled musket?
I wrote the beginning of this exact concept as a paladin variant (using both good and evil pistols because of a mixed heritage, Dante style) but I never got around finishing it, and I will surely not in the close future.
The double barreled pistol has the advantage of easiness to use and can be double-tap'd once per round even when fighting with two weapons; the double barreled musket has the advantage of sheer damage input (a deadshot critical hit with this weapon tears a new hole in the planet). Considering how hard it is to reload a two-handed firearm without being a musket master, and since you will aim for smite damage firsthand, I suggest the pistol.|
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I did look at the Gun Mage before. One of the problems I had with it is that it doesn't even a single simple weapon proficiency, "A gunmage only gains proficiency with one-handed firearms." Even wizards and sorcerers know how to use a couple melee weapons for emergency use. A gun mage couldn't use the dagger portion of a dagger pistol without a penalty as written.
That's a typo on my side and does not reflect the original intent; consider all archetypes as proficient with simple weapons in addition to what could be written in their weapons proficiency.
Heck, even vanilla wizards can wield them, I don't see why a magus would fail to do so.
chaoseffect, thanks for the feedback. The umbral weaver was a reaction to how almost all bard archetypes favor support through passive means. You start a performance, and keep it up til the end. The umbral weaver's goal was to provide something that's more active for the players, and that's why you can end the main performance quickly to do a variety of actions. They're also focusing more on prevention, disruption, and punishment than the usual buffs to attack rolls. At least, that's what I was aiming for :) Hope those insights help!
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Maxx, I have a few questions about your Gun-Fu Master. Mostly points to clarify.
I answered all of them on the document itself, but let me clarify each concern :
I guess this means a 2-handed gun, like a rifle or blunderbuss, also takes the -2 penalty? That seems to favor dual wielding over anything else. Of course that might be the flavor of the archetype, but still you might want to mention something about 2-handers, especially as they are proficient in them.
The gun-fu master suffers the -2 penalty when firing with a single firearm during the round. No mention about one or two-handed... you may as well shoot with two different muskets without suffering penalties ! Remember you can also fire two-handed firearms in one hand...
Two-handed gun-fu masters deal more damage in combat but quickly suffer from the lack of ammunition, and must invest more class features into making their fighting style work.This means that a multiclass gun-fu master/gunslinger can't double up on grit, but that's fine. And the gun-fu master by itself doesn't grant deeds, and that's fine too. But the first line of the quote from the class, specifically the part about the deeds, kind of confuses me. Deeds can't be gained outside of the Deeds class feature or a few select feats. So what is the point of putting "and deeds" at the end of that sentence? Do gun-fu master levels (-3) stack with gunslinger levels for the purpose of what deeds he gains?
Levels don't stack, though I guess I would allow it as your DM depending on the result (this class has yet to be fully playtested).
This line simply means they can power their deeds gained through deed feats or gunslinger levels with their own kind of Grit pool.The normal way a gunslinger gains grit is at the start of each day, as well as by...
The easiest way to treat Gritty Ki is to break it down like this :
- You have a monk's Ki pool ;
- and you have a Grit pool.
They both work as normal (ki pool replenished fully after rest, grit pool replenishes through daring acts, killing blows and critical hits), with the following differences :
- The ki pool is lower than a monk's ;
- your grit points may be spent as ki points ;
- you replace the ki abilities by those written in the ability (so for example you can't use ki to improve unarmed strikes, but as a swift action you can prevent misfires for 1 round).
This means a gun-fu master has effectively less ki points than a monk, but can actually spend more of them in the day by being badass enough to recover grit and spend it in ki abilities.
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It’s time to flesh things out !
Hi everyone,
I originally designed the Fleshwraith class variant for Louis Porter Jr. Design’s Machinesmith base class. As written, the Fleshwraith required a revision… and after much tweaking, there it is.
Here is the list of revisions :
- Progression tables for each class variant
- Hit dice precised for each class (both are based on the machinesmith but the Host received a little boost)
- Fluff and crunch rewritten to remove any confusion
- Little balance tweaks there and there
- New fluff to introduce the Host
- Balance revisited for the Host’s powers (including no more “dead” level in terms of abilities)
- 17 Aberrant Traits for the Host archetype, improving customization through cool, icky abilities
In addition to the revisions themselves, you will find quite a sum of goodies as bonus content (written in green in the document) to thank people who supported, support or will support the class :
- ... did I mention the 17 aberrant traits ?
- ... the Phyto Lab : a complete, brand new greatwork to warp the vegetal kingdom to your liking
- ... which comes complete with 5 greatwork augmentations
- ... and to make all greatworks even, 2 new augmentations for the Genetic Lab and the Hivemind !
The revised version's playtest is available HERE. Feel free to give your feedback over this revision and the new options that will be available to your creepy, creepy characters ! I'm obviously still regularly keeping an eye on it to find whatever could be left to improve. (OFFICIAL PLAYTEST THREAD HERE)
I hope you’ll enjoy it !
- Benjamin “Maxximilius the Brain-in-a-Jar” Rombeaut
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Too much vanilla class variants ?
Discover more flavorful options fit only for the most renegade aventurers !
Hi everyone,
Long time no see... but I have been keeping my eyes on a project, and working on it whenever I could find some freedom of mind and inspiration to do a great work.
I wrote The Secrets of Renegade Archetypes last year, and following its success, I'm now proud to present to you The Secrets of Renegade Archetypes II !
The Secrets of Renegade Archetypes II gives you - yes, you guessed it - even more new archetypes for the most popular base classes created by your favorite 3rd Party Publishers, allowing you to make the most out of the most radical and revolutionary designs available for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. (It includes brains in jars, metroid inspiration, tyrannosaur barbarians and tactical swashbucklers who fight with mobility and taunts. Seriously, get this.)
The classes (and their archetypes) supported by this product are as follows:
Death Paramours use their bond with the Low Road to steal the souls of their departing victims before they have a chance to face final judgment, and raise their undead bodies as servants and temporary vessels for their own soul.
Elven Archer (Kobold Press)
Elven Exemplars blend natural and arcane magic with master archery, representing the apex of elven civilization's finest aspects. Their arrows of pure energy, scroll arrows, ranged spellstrikes and versatile spell list makes them deadly opponents and allies.
Machinesmith and Fleshwraith (Louis Porter Jr. Design)
Cybernetics Doctors are scientists bordering the edge of sanity, experimenting with invasive grafts and devices like brains in jars and other improvements intended to reinforce one's physical capabilities, whether with glass and metal or flesh and bone.
Pact Magic Binder (Radiant House)
The Artisan and Lover are two new constellations that all binders can attempt to tap upon in order to create incredible pieces of craftsmanship, or promote peace, affection and understanding. Each comes with a new spirit to bind.
Shadow Assassin (Rogue Genius Games)
Mage Slayers forsake their deadly strikes in order to resist spells, hit through magic protections, and break the concentration of spellcasters. They may track their victims over long distances, proving immunity to fear is always a handy gift.
Swordmaster (Dread Fox Games)
Braggarts have a great natural skill with both their chosen weapon and their tongue. Passionate about their personal quest, they act recklessly in combat with unique maneuvers in order to provoke and punish their foes, swashbuckling their way to success.
Witch Hunter (Rogue Genius Games)
Witch Eaters have a taste for magic, especially the living kind. Their ability to leech spells and consume body parts of their fallen victims in order to receive their courage, insight or strength make them as feared as could be a werewolf in some communities.
Wolf Shifter (Paizo Fans United)
The Werebeast includes 13 animal variants to the wolf for all those who wish to play a serpentine, mastodon, tiger... or yes, a tyrannosaur-themed lycanthrope/barbarian.
I hope you’ll enjoy it !
- Benjamin “Maxximilius the Brain-in-a-Jar” Rombeaut
So when are going to show some little red class support? ;P
Seeing what you could do with the skirmisher for example could be interesting.
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Hi everyone !
Do you like 3PP classes but find they are lacking options ?
Well, The Secrets of Renegade Archetypes II just received a 5-stars + seal of approval rating by the reviewer Endzeitgeist :
"Benjamin Rombeaut has DONE it. Not only surpasses this pdf the first collection of renegade archetype, it almost mops the floor with it. Why? Because this is INSPIRED. There is not a single archetype herein that is mediocre or even just good. NOT ONE. Each and every archetype has something iconic and special going for it and I *love* this book for it - especially the swordmaster, death knight and machinesmith content deserve special mentioning here, being radiant examples what crunch should do - inspire.
I see a lot of crunch. I can appreciate the beauty of complex math and when that works with the rules to create something unique, I feel warm and giddy. Alas, more often than not, crunch equals the recombination of established rules, the mixing and blending of abilities. Not so here. This pdf's archetypes are not "X with ability z" - they are triumphantly unique, inspired, complex. They provide iconic imagery that is partially baffling in its awesomeness, in its "OMG, how cool is that"-knee-jerk rule-of-cool reaction. While not always 100% perfect, the quality of the underlying rules does actually manage to supplement these complex concepts in a way that can only be described as beautiful."
Check the full review and download the supplement HERE !
(... did I mention there are rules to play a brain-in-a-jar ? Who could resist the call of such a higher form of being and existence ?)
In the meantime, in case you missed those, know that there are class options that I have not yet put into my archetypes documents :
The Handcannoneer has been revised !
This siegebreaking, heavy firearm gunslinger archetype based around firing a single shot per round but making it count (including shooting blots of thunder through your cannon, pot mortars, flamethrowers, nets, harpoons !) will give a new meaning to "one-hit wonder" with a simple but tactical and rewarding character.
... and even more to come !
I also intend to do a complete overhaul of the rules I wrote sometimes several years ago when I had a lot less experience, in order to have more balanced and interesting options in my Archetypes documents... but that will be when I have time, and time is currently a scarce ressource because I'm not a Chronomage yet. (Especially if you want to see little red class support someday, christos gurd ;) )
I hope you'll love them !
- "Brain-in-a-jar" Maxximilius